Effects of prostaglandins on adrenal steroidogenesis in the rat

Abstract

To elucidate the role of prostaglandins in adrenal steroidogenesis, we studied aldosterone and corticosterone responses to 3 × 10 −8 M – 3 × 10 −4 M of prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2), prostaglandin F 2α (PGF 2α), prostacyclin (PGI 2), and arachidonic acid (AA) in collagenase dispersed rat adrenal capsular and decapsular cells. Whereas adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and angiotensin II (AII) stimulated aldosterone production in capsular cells and ACTH stimulated corticosterone production in decapsular cells in a dose dependent fashion, aldosterone and corticosterone production were not stimulated significantly by PGE 2, PGF 2α, PGI 2, and AA. Although preincubation of dispersed adrenal cells with indomethacin ( 3 × 10 −5 M ) markedly inhibited PGE 2 synthesis, ACTH- and AII-stimulated aldosterone production and ACTH-stimulated corticosterone production were not attenuated despite prostaglandin blockade. These results indicate that prostaglandins are unlikely to play an important role in adrenal steroidogenesis.